


The Library Game

by Twisted_Slinky



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Ficlet Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-02
Updated: 2013-05-02
Packaged: 2017-12-10 04:22:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/781730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twisted_Slinky/pseuds/Twisted_Slinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some say it's been played by Hogwarts students for as long as quidditch, but not everyone knows the rules. If you're lucky, though, you'll hear them whispered by an older student, "Go to the Legal Section of the library, walk until you reach the back wall. If you're daring enough to kiss a stranger, turn left and wait for your partner to arrive…"  A collection of ficlets featuring various pairings throughout the generations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Only a Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> While every story will be labeled with a date, I don't expect they'll all be accurate. Written for the hp_may_madness challenge.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Only a Kiss  
> Characters/Pairing: light Remus/Lily  
> Word Count: ~1200  
> Rating: PG  
> Warnings: underage kissing  
> Summary: Remus hates that Sirius talked him into playing.

 

 

_1974_

"It'll be fun. Plus, it's tradition. Everyone does it at least once," Sirius insisted.

Remus wanted to resist his friend's steering, but this was Sirius. Once Sirius got an idea in his head, there was little to be done but to ride the storm out and hope to survive it. Still, that didn't stop Remus's palms from sweating or his feet from catching on the slick floor. His shoes let out a sharp squeal of protest that seemed particularly loud inside the library. If his face hadn't already been flushed with embarrassment, it certainly would have heated then.

Thankfully, no one looked up to pay him any mind. Mostly because there _was_ no one to pay him any mind; the Legal Section was suffering from its typical traffic. That is to say, it was empty.

"Then you've played it before?" Remus asked. But he already doubted it. In the four years Remus had known him, Sirius had most faithfully divulged every unwanted detail of his love life, which was particularly active for a sixteen-year-old. It was part of Sirius's charm. Which was why Remus was all but certain his friend had never had a rendezvous in the Legal Section before. "You've met someone? _Here?_ "

"Oh, Merlin, no. Unlike you, mate, I have a reputation with the ladies to uphold. And you can get stuck with _anyone_ playing this game. I mean, imagine! What if I walked back there and slimy Snivellus was laying in wait? …But don't worry, you should do fine. Hey, perhaps you'll even get a reputation yourself. Let's hope it's a good one, aye?"

Remus's eyes widened in terror. "Wait…Anyone? But what if -"

He never had a chance to finish as Sirius gave a final push. Remus stumbled forward, almost into the stone face of the back wall. Before he could turn around, he heard the book shelves flanking the aisle slide closed. Even though it was expected, he gulped.

If the 'spot' had closed itself off, that could only mean there was someone else there with him. After all, the game didn't begin until there were two players.

Remus closed his eyes, letting out a nervous breath and hoping he hadn't just been locked behind a wall of books with someone he detested.

"Remus? Remus Lupin?"

He knew that voice. His eyes shot open, as wide as tea saucers, and he raised a shaky hand, brushing the fringe off his brow. "Lily?"

Sure enough, when he dared to glance to his left, she was sitting there, at the square table for two in the hide-away corner of the library. Unlike him, she seemed perfectly put together, an amused grin on her face and a bit of surprise in her raised brow. In front of her sat an open book, her long red hair tickling one page.

"Uh…doing a bit of reading?" he asked.

She bit her bottom lip, hiding a smile, but her sparkling green eyes were answer enough. She was there for the game, too. Not by accident. "I would never have thought Remus Lupin, of all people, would be caught in this _section_. So, was it Sirius Black or James Potter who forced you into this? Unless you threw yourself through the stacks?"

Remus gave up on his excuse before it ever left his mouth, his shoulders slumping slightly as he stepped up to the table, taking the other seat. He dropped his book sack onto the floor at his feet. "Sirius," he admitted, with a slight frown. He let out a sigh. "Should we…uh…get this over with, then?"

Lily raised a brow. "You make it sound like torture. Is it really so horrible, the idea of kissing me?"

Remus blushed. "Oh no, that's not what I meant. It's not that bad…" He almost choked on his own words, suddenly feeling his heart speed up. "I mean to say, it's not bad at all. If I were going to play this stupid game with anyone, I'm glad it's someone I actually like."

"You like me then?"

"No! I mean…yes? But not…"

Remus hated himself just a little. But he hated Sirius even more at the moment. Currently, his will to survive was linked to throttling one of his best mates in the near future.

Lily laughed, raising a hand to put him out of his misery. "Sorry, Remus. I shouldn't tease. It's just a game, alright? It's just for fun…Calm down."

Remus nodded along, forcing a light laugh. It was silly, sure, but…This was Lily Evans. Surely she understood why he was so flustered. But, perhaps he was wrong… "Is there really no other way to open the shelves again?"

Lily tapped a finger against the table. Remus hadn't even noticed the words that appeared, as if burned into the wood surface:

_Two have entered, the game begun._   
_As to the rules of the heart, there are none,_   
_save that only with a kiss and these words spoken_   
_can the round be done._

Remus swallow. "Ah."

"Have you never kissed a girl before?" Lily smiled softly at his frown. "Don't worry about it, Remus. It only needs to be a peck, if that's all you want to do." She tilted her head slightly, staring at him. "Though…if you'd rather try out -"

"I can't," he said, interrupting her. "I can't do that to…" He bit off the rest of the sentence.

Lily sat up a bit straighter. She reached out, catching his hand with hers. "It's just a kiss. And no one has to know it was a kiss with me. I won't tell, if you don't."

Remus glanced up. "Really?"

"Really." Lily smiled ruefully, then stood up, leaning over the table. Her voice softer, she added, "And I think I know whose name you were going to say just then…I know he's the real reason why you don't want to kiss me."

"You do?"

She was close enough for him to feel her breath on his chin, and Remus felt his palms sweat all over again. His knees shook slightly, but he stood to meet her lips. The kiss was soft and tasted as sweet as pumpkin juice. Remus wanted to reach out, touch her, but he knew he shouldn't. James, even though he was never quite as explicit as Sirius, had said enough…Remus knew his friend had feelings for Lily Evans, and if Remus did any more than kiss her, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand the guilt.

He pulled away and quickly whispered the poem to end the game. Behind him, he could hear the bookshelves sliding open. Lily walked around the table, patting him gently on the shoulder, as if to comfort him.

"…It's too bad I'm not telling anyone about this," she said, at a whisper. "I'm sure if Sirius knew what a good kisser you were, he'd be much more apt to join you next time."

Remus was still sucking his bottom lip, tasting the brief kiss, when she slipped past the stacks. Her words sunk in and he raised a brow. "Wait…what? I'm not..."


	2. A Move in the Right Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Characters/Pairing: Harry/Ginny  
> Word Count: ~400  
> Rating: PG-13  
> Warnings: underage pairing  
> Summary: Ginny grows tired of Harry avoiding her.

 

_1997_

The shelves of books slid shut behind him, trapping its quarry in the small, enclosed space that marked the back of the library's Legal Section. Harry took a steadying breath before turning to find Ginny sitting on the lone table, her legs crossed. It was well after her final class, and she'd changed out of her robes and into a skirt and tight purple sweater that Harry had admired in the past. Or more specifically, he'd admired its snug fit, but he'd never known she'd even brought it to Hogwarts with her.

He opened and closed his mouth in welcome, suddenly loosing the ability to speak.

The muggle clothes were just another sign of what was coming next, and he couldn't allow it. Not right now. There was simply too much happening in his life for…He took another steadying breath. He'd told all of this to her before, but once Ginny got it in her mind to do something, it was hard to shake her from the idea.

"I knew you'd come," Ginny said, smirking at him as she re-crossed her legs, leaning back onto her arms.

"I heard you'd be here," Harry returned, trying to keep himself in check. "I'm assuming you wanted me to find out that you were headed to _Kissing Corner_ after supper?"

Ginny cocked her head to the side, her messy red braid falling over her shoulder. "You've been ignoring me, Harry. I asked you to meet me yesterday, in the common room, but you avoided me."

He sighed, trying not to notice the way the candle light from the back wall fell across her bare legs, leaving them looking particularly creamy. "I wasn't avoiding you, I just needed some time to…" His voice trailed off, the excuse on the tip of his tongue suddenly replaced by an indignant frown. "Were you really just going to meet up with some random stranger and kiss them? All to play this stupid little game? Why? Because you were _bored_ with me?"

Ginny snorted. "Oh _, please,_ I never planned on any such thing. I knew you wouldn't leave me waiting here. You can't stand the idea of someone else kissing me, so I knew you'd have to show up and play the game as soon as you heard."

Harry took a step closer, his hip resting against her calve. He reached down, gently laying his hand against her thigh, his thumb running a line across her soft skin. "So, you were relying upon my jealousy to get me here?"

Ginny wrapped her fingers around the front of his robe, pulling him close enough for a soft kiss. "It worked, didn't it?"


End file.
